Paterson considers all-boys schools to boost academics

By HANNAN ADELY

STAFF WRITER |

The Record

PATERSON — The school district is considering plans for a single-sex school or classrooms as a way to boost performance of male students, who lag behind girls in grades and graduation rates, the superintendent said.

Superintendent Donnie W. Evans said he will review options for single-sex education next year when the district revises its five-year plan that lays out goals and priorities.

"It's one of the initiatives we've unofficially decided to move forward on," said Evans, adding that he plans to discuss it with the school board.

The district, which serves 29,400 students, has used mentors, leadership summits and career-themed small schools to motivate boys. But single-sex education could be harder to implement; such schools and classrooms have been the subject of controversy and legal challenges in other states.

Searching for guidance on how to help male students, a group of seven Paterson administrators and school board members went to Chicago in 2012 for a conference run by the Boston-based Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color.

Chris Irving, president of the Paterson school board, said single-sex schools was one of several ideas that the group suggested to Evans after returning from the conference.

"I would support any measure that seeks to improve quality of education for our boys," Irving said. He said Paterson's young men "deal with so much," including violence, drugs and peer pressure. He said he believes they need extra guidance in dealing with social and emotional challenges.

"That requires us to give them more attention, more resources, more love, more caring and education. It's our duty to make sure that happens," he said.

Evans said he envisions opening a small school of about 200 to 300 male students, although he expects obstacles in finding space and facilities. Such a school, he said, could help remove distractions that are more common in schools attended by both boys and girls.

"Some of our young men need additional guidance or mentoring or support as it relates to social skills and social skill development, and in particular how they handle themselves with young women," Evans said.

Federal regulations adopted in 2006 made it easier to open boys-only schools, but require that an equal single-sex school exists for girls.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has challenged gender-divided schooling in other states, has argued that it creates inequities and increases discrimination and gender stereotyping. Supporters believe it cuts down on distractions and encourages students to pursue interests without fear of judgment from the opposite sex.

There are 116 single-sex public schools around the U.S., according to the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education. The only such schools in New Jersey are in Newark, which opened an all-boys school in fall of 2012 and a girls' school a year later.

Rich Vespucci, a state education department spokesman, said state regulations do not allow classrooms to be separated by sex, but don't address single-sex schools.

At the Eagle Academy for Young Men of Newark, officials said they set high expectations for students and have a strong focus on parental involvement.

While it's hard to measure the young school's success so far, students did better in math during the opening year, but worse in reading.

Affiliated Eagle Academy schools in the Bronx, Harlem, Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn have had above-average results. The Bronx school has a graduation rate of 87 percent, and 90 percent of graduates among all the schools attend college, according to the Eagle Academy Foundation, which sponsors the public schools.

In Paterson, students were not enthusiastic about the idea of sex-divided schools.

Asraful Islam, who will start senior year in the fall, said classrooms would lose diversity if they were separated by sex.

"When you have a group of females and males, you get to hear both sides of what the teacher is teaching," he said. He gave the example of a lesson on women's rights. "Some males have a different view of women's rights than females do," he said.

Paterson considers all-boys schools to boost academics

PATERSON — The school district is considering plans for a single-sex school or classrooms as a way to boost performance of male students, who lag behind girls in grades and graduation rates, the superintendent said.

Superintendent Donnie W. Evans said he will review options for single-sex education next year when the district revises its five-year plan that lays out goals and priorities.

"It's one of the initiatives we've unofficially decided to move forward on," said Evans, adding that he plans to discuss it with the school board.

The district, which serves 29,400 students, has used mentors, leadership summits and career-themed small schools to motivate boys. But single-sex education could be harder to implement; such schools and classrooms have been the subject of controversy and legal challenges in other states.

Searching for guidance on how to help male students, a group of seven Paterson administrators and school board members went to Chicago in 2012 for a conference run by the Boston-based Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color.

Chris Irving, president of the Paterson school board, said single-sex schools was one of several ideas that the group suggested to Evans after returning from the conference.

"I would support any measure that seeks to improve quality of education for our boys," Irving said. He said Paterson's young men "deal with so much," including violence, drugs and peer pressure. He said he believes they need extra guidance in dealing with social and emotional challenges.

"That requires us to give them more attention, more resources, more love, more caring and education. It's our duty to make sure that happens," he said.

Evans said he envisions opening a small school of about 200 to 300 male students, although he expects obstacles in finding space and facilities. Such a school, he said, could help remove distractions that are more common in schools attended by both boys and girls.

"Some of our young men need additional guidance or mentoring or support as it relates to social skills and social skill development, and in particular how they handle themselves with young women," Evans said.

Federal regulations adopted in 2006 made it easier to open boys-only schools, but require that an equal single-sex school exists for girls.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has challenged gender-divided schooling in other states, has argued that it creates inequities and increases discrimination and gender stereotyping. Supporters believe it cuts down on distractions and encourages students to pursue interests without fear of judgment from the opposite sex.

There are 116 single-sex public schools around the U.S., according to the National Association for Single-Sex Public Education. The only such schools in New Jersey are in Newark, which opened an all-boys school in fall of 2012 and a girls' school a year later.

Rich Vespucci, a state education department spokesman, said state regulations do not allow classrooms to be separated by sex, but don't address single-sex schools.

At the Eagle Academy for Young Men of Newark, officials said they set high expectations for students and have a strong focus on parental involvement.

While it's hard to measure the young school's success so far, students did better in math during the opening year, but worse in reading.

Affiliated Eagle Academy schools in the Bronx, Harlem, Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn have had above-average results. The Bronx school has a graduation rate of 87 percent, and 90 percent of graduates among all the schools attend college, according to the Eagle Academy Foundation, which sponsors the public schools.

In Paterson, students were not enthusiastic about the idea of sex-divided schools.

Asraful Islam, who will start senior year in the fall, said classrooms would lose diversity if they were separated by sex.

"When you have a group of females and males, you get to hear both sides of what the teacher is teaching," he said. He gave the example of a lesson on women's rights. "Some males have a different view of women's rights than females do," he said.